Blood Pressure Genetics in Han Taiwanese With Cross-Trait Analysis in East Asians: Insights Into Comorbidities,...

Hypertension is a major health burden in East Asia. However, the genetic architecture and clinical implications of blood pressure (BP) traits remain underexplored beyond European-focused studies. This large-scale study aimed to investigate hypertension, systolic BP, and diastolic BP, to uncover genetic links to comorbidities and mortality in Han Taiwanese individuals.

This large-scale study used China Medical University Hospital biobank data and conducted genome-wide association studies on 25 523 hypertension cases and 47 522 controls, plus 66 236 individuals for systolic BP and 66 152 for diastolic BP. Cross-trait genetic correlations were assessed across 5 East Asian biobanks. Mendelian randomization and polygenic risk scores were applied to assess causality and predict clinical outcomes.

We identified 8 loci and 36 genes for hypertension, 7 loci and 17 genes for systolic BP, and 9 loci and 26 genes for diastolic BP. ATP2B1 and FGF5 were common to all BP traits, implicating calcium signaling and vascular remodeling pathways. Cross-trait analyses showed shared genetic liability between BP traits and cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities. Phenome-wide association studies confirmed strong associations with circulatory diseases. Mendelian randomization analyses demonstrated that elevated BP causally increases the risk of unstable angina pectoris. Polygenic risk scores predicted significantly higher risks and earlier onset of unstable angina pectoris, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular mortality among individuals in the top polygenic risk score quintiles.

Our findings highlight the genetic basis of BP and comorbidities in East Asians, suggesting that BP genetic risk may inform future approaches to early risk assessment and prevention.